Mustansiriya Madrasa

The Mustansiriya was founded in 1227 by the caliph al-Mustansir and opened in 1233 and was unusual for its time in teaching all four schools of Sunni law under one roof, with a library, a hospital and a kitchen, endowed to support students from across the Islamic world. The building is a long rectangular courtyard with two storeys of arcaded cells around it, brickwork worked into geometric and calligraphic panels, and iwans on the axes; a water clock is recorded as having stood at the entrance. It was badly damaged in the Mongol siege of Baghdad in 1258 and later served as a caravanserai and customs house before restoration returned it to something like its original form. It stands directly on the river beside the old bridge, and a visit takes an hour.

History

The Abbasid caliph al-Mustansir established the madrasa in 1227 at a cost of 700,000 dinars, and it opened for study on 6 April 1233 with a great celebration. It was the first Islamic university to teach all four schools of Sunni law - Hanafi, Shafi'i, Maliki and Hanbali - together, an example followed about a decade later by the Salihiyya Madrasa in Cairo, and it also taught mathematics, algebra, philosophy and medicine, giving students from across Iraq lodging, clothes, food and monthly allowances. In 1235 a monumental water-powered clock announcing the hours of prayer by day and night was completed in its entrance hall. The Mongol siege of Baghdad in 1258 did it the most serious damage in its history, and after periods of decline and revival it is now being restored (Wikipedia, Mustansiriyya Madrasa).

What to look for

• The arcaded courtyard - two storeys of student cells around the court.
• Decorative brickwork - geometric and calligraphic panels in the walls.
• The iwans - the vaulted halls on the axes of the courtyard.
• The river frontage - the building standing directly on the Tigris.

When to go

November to March; the courtyard is exposed and Baghdad summers are extreme. Mornings are best for light in the court. Opening hours can be irregular.

Practical notes

The interior is bare, with no furnishing or displays, so the interest is architectural. Interpretation is minimal. Opening is not always reliable. The surrounding old quarter is congested and parts are in poor repair.

Nearby

The Abbasid Palace lies nearby; Mutanabbi Street is south.

Key facts